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Friday, April 26, 2013

GE13: Najib's Sabah Autonomy is a non-issue absurb

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee has rebuked the Prime Minister for saying that autonomy (for Sabah) is a “non-issue”.

“When Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has been forced to talk about Sabah autonomy during his last campaign stop in Sabah, it means that indeed Sabah autonomy has become the hottest and main issue in this general election.

“Therefore, it is deceiving for the Prime Minister to say that autonomy is a “non-issue”,” he said.

In a rebuttal issued here, Yong further said the BN-UMNO has been put on the defensive and has to finally admit that the 20-Point agreement is valid.

“What follows is that both the Pakatan Rakyat and now the BN must respect, accept and recognise the spirit of 20 Points which forms the basis of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement,” he added.

The former Chief Minister of Sabah also reiterated that failure to respect, accept and recognise the 20 Points and Sabah autonomy will compromise the status of the Malaysia Agreement which is the key United Nations-recognised document that places Sabah in Malaysia.

“If the Malaysia Agreement and Sabah autonomy is compromised, then the Philippines Sulu claim over Sabah will resurface at the international arena.

“Malaysia has only one choice – to respect, accept and recognise Sabah autonomy or else to lose Sabah forever. Therefore, on this issue of Sabah Autonomy, Sabah and SAPP have already won,” he said.

Political autonomy for Sabah is one of SAPP key agendas and pledges contained in its Election Manifesto, besides the pledge to issue the ‘Sabah IC’ to counter and resolve the perennial issue of foreign immigrants obtaining Malaysian citizenship through such dubious means including the infamous ‘Project IC’. The other two main agendas of SAPP struggle are, to reinstate the Borneonisation of Sabah civil service, and land and economic reforms.

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